What Jesus describes in this story could have happened during his time in Palestine. Ordinary people used the
ground as the safest place to keep their treasured possessions. Caches of coins were buried all over the country, forgotten when the owner died.
We can imagine that the people listening to this story of Jesus did so with great understanding and interest. One or two may have known someone who came upon a treasure in this way. The listeners would have understood the person's actions in selling everything they owned to buy the field and secure the best treasure for themselves. They would have understood that they could have done the
same as they discovered the treasure.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus does not explain any of these final stories to his disciples as he did
with the parables of The Sower and The Weeds. By this stage, he was probably hoping that they would reflect on them and discover the deeper meanings of God's Kingdom for themselves. We ask him to help us do the same s today.
Spiritually speaking, suddenly stumbling across, recognising, and becoming increasingly familiar with the Kingdom of God today, would be like coming upon a treasure of great worth. This treasure would far outshine all the wealth, glamour, and glitter of the natural world as we know it and become utterly worthless by comparison. One could imagine a person pitching up at your local church to
find a welcoming, helpful, and caring congregation – in the likeness of people of God's Kingdom – and then accepting the good news of God's love for them. Such a person would naturally be joyous and more easily let go of some or all of what they owned and valued to secure their place in such a caring congregation. We are told in Acts 2:42-47 that this happened frequently at the beginning of the church’s existence. St Ignatius would refer to this as "holding lightly" the things of this world – of
not being attached to them - to gain citizenship in God's Kingdom.
Is this true for me? Have I yet discovered the treasure of Jesus in
my life?
Ponder your experience of getting to know Jesus and your place in God's kingdom. Can you remember how you felt? Can you remember what you did?
What is this "treasure" still worth to you – even many years after your discovery? Are you more able to let go of the things of this world for your place and work in the kingdom?
Reflections by Reginald Venter
